The continuation of Lionsgate’s smash hit Michael will be “an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience,” Adam Fogelson, chair of the company’s motion picture group, has predicted.
During a financial results call with analysts, Fogelson provided an update on the planned follow-up to the original musical biopic, which took Michael Jackson’s story up to 1988, at the height of the superstar’s success.
“We are really excited about the progress we’re making with respect to a second Michael film,” said Fogelson.
”All the conversations that we’ve been having with all the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well, and I would say there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalogue that were not touched upon in the first film,” Fogelson continued. “We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story. There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie, that weren’t touched upon.”
Fogelson added that “25 to 30 per cent” of the second film will consist of footage shot during production of the original film. Production of the original was complicated by a reported legal settlement that the Jackson estate has regarding an allegation of child abuse that emerged against the singer in the nineties. Jackson always asserted his innocence.
Micheal has already taken more than $715m at the box office worldwide and, with a release in Japan still to come, is on course to become Lionsgate’s first $1bn global grosser.
On the call to discuss Lionsgate’s results for the fourth quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, company CEO Jon Feltheimer said the performance of Michael (released just after the quarter ended) and late-2025 hit The Housemaid reasserted “our ability to compete effectively at every level of box office.”
For the three months ended March 31 Lionsgate reported revenue of $906.5m, up from $865.6m for the corresponding quarter of the company’s fiscal 2025. Net income from continuing operations was $70.2m, or 23 cents per share, compared to a loss of $117.4m for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The company’s motion picture segment produced revenue of $651.9m, up 23% from the $528.5m in the prior year, and profit of $187.1m, up 39% from the previous year’s $134.3m.
The film group’s results were boosted by the performance of The Housemaid, which has grossed nearly $400m in worldwide box office since its release in mid-December last year.
No comments yet